The application describes several methods and an apparatus for treatment of at least partial areas of a substrate. In said methods, at least one liquid is applied to at least one partial area of the substrate and electromagnetic radiation is introduced into this liquid, in order to achieve a desired effect in accordance with the respective method. In one method, radicals are generated in the liquid by means of UV radiation prior to application of the liquid, wherein generation of the radicals occurs directly before applying the liquid to the substrate, such that at least a portion of the radicals reaches the substrate. In one method, in which ions are removed from at least partial areas of the surface of a substrate and near surface layers of said substrate, a liquid, which is heated above ambient temperature is applied to the substrate, in order to form a liquid film on at least a partial area of said substrate, wherein electromagnetic radiation is introduced into said liquid film such that at least a portion of the radiation reaches the substrate surface. In another method for changing the surface characteristics of a substrate having an at least partially hydrophobic substrate surface such that at least a portion of said hydrophobic surface gets a hydrophilic surface characteristic, a liquid is applied to at least the partial area of the surface of the substrate, whose surface characteristic is to be changed, and UV radiation of a predetermined range of wavelength is guided through said liquid onto at least the partial area of the surface of said substrate, whose surface characteristic is to be changed. The methods may be performed in a common apparatus in any desired order in series and/or in parallel.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An apparatus for treating substrates, said apparatus comprising: a substrate holder for receiving the substrate; a housing defining a flow chamber having an inlet for a liquid and an outlet opening for the liquid; a first radiation source for emitting UV radiation, the first radiation source being at least partially arranged in said outlet opening to emit radiation into said flow chamber and said outlet opening; and a unit for generating a relative movement between said substrate holder and said housing, said unit being configured to arrange said housing with respect to said substrate holder such that the outlet opening is directed towards the substrate holder such that a liquid exiting the outlet directly flows onto a substrate on the substrate holder.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first radiation source is arranged such that it also emits radiation through said outlet out of the housing.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first radiation source is at least partially arranged in said flow chamber.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first radiation source is at least partially arranged in said outlet opening.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first radiation source is substantially arranged in the middle of the outlet opening.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outlet opening and the first radiation source have an extension in length which is greater or at least equal to an extension in width of the substrate to be cleaned.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first radiation source comprises a first lamp, which emits radiation in the UV range.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first lamp also emits radiation in the IR range.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first radiation source comprises at least a second lamp emitting radiation in a primarily different wavelength range than the first lamp.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein at least one cover is provided between the first and/or second lamp and the flow chamber, wherein the at least one cover is substantially transparent to UV radiation.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one cover completely surrounds the first and/or second lamp in one plane.
12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first and/or second lamp is a rod lamp.
13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first lamp emits UV radiation in the wavelength range between 140 nm to 280 nm.
14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first lamp emits primarily UV radiation in the wavelength range between 140 nm and 280 nm.
15. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the second lamp emits UV radiation in the wavelength range over 180 nm.
16. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the second lamp emits IR radiation.
17. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the second radiation source emits IR radiation.
18. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising a control unit configured to individually and independently control the first and second radiation units.
19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one second radiation source is provided outside the flow chamber of the housing such that it emits radiation into an area adjacent to the outlet of the housing.
20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the at least one second radiation source emits radiation at a wavelength range that is different than the wavelength range of the first radiation source.
21. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the at least one second radiation source emits UV radiation at a wavelength range above 180 nm.
22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first radiation source is configured to extend through the outlet opening outside the housing.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
May 18, 2017
April 23, 2019
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